The Forest
by brandi.whisnant.3
Summary: Dawnheart and Swiftstripe have no idea what they are about to run into. The journey will be long and treacherous, and will they come back changed? We shall see :3
1. Characters

~~TreeClan~~

Leader-Oakstar- Red/brown tom with a long tail, deep brown eyes.(Mate of Redwhisker)

Deputy-Redwhisker- Red/grey she-cat with bright green eyes.(Mate of Oakstar)

Warriors-Antstep- Tiny black she-cat with adorable blue eyes. Apprentice, Snowpaw

Splashstone- Blue/grey tom with one grey eye and one bright blue eye. Apprentice, Swiftpaw

Viperthorne- Large brown tom with yellow eyes, white underbelly, tail, and muzzle. Apprentice, Nightpaw

Rainfeather- Blue/grey she-cat with blue/grey eyes. Apprentice, Dawnpaw

Boldheart- Large grey tom with orange eyes. Apprentice, Orangepaw

Med-Heatherstep- Very pretty tan she-cat with blue eyes, grey paws and tail tip. Apprentice, Dovepaw

Apprentices-Snowpaw- White she-cat with silver eyes(Sister of Orangepaw and Dawnpaw, Daughter of Oakstar)

Dawnpaw- Orange/brown she-cat with cute blue eyes, heart-like shaped marking on forehead(sister of Orangepaw and Snowpaw, Daughter of Oakstar)

Dovepaw- Small white she-cat with dark brown eyes(sister of Swiftpaw and Nightpaw)

Swiftpaw- Large tom, brown with white tiger stripes, blue eyes, and a star-like marking on forehead.(Brother of Nightpaw and Dovepaw)

Orangepaw- Orange tom with dark orange eyes(brother of Dawnpaw and Snowpaw, Son of Oakstar)

Nightpaw- Black tom with dark brown eyes(Brother of Swiftpaw and Dovepaw)

Queens- Fernpetal- Pretty grey she-cat, green eyes(Father is Darkheart, who just became a elder one moon ago)

Elders- Darkheart- Dark grey tom, dull blue eyes(Father of Fernpetals soon to come kits)

Crystaltail- Light blue/white she-cat, blue eyes.

~~FlowerClan~~

Leader-Pedalstar- White she-cat with yellow eyes. Apprentice, Sparklepaw(Mate of Sunspark)

Deputy-Sunspark- Calico tom with one green eye, one white. Apprentice, Blossompaw(Mate of Pedalstar)

Warriors-Grasstail- Green/blue/grey tom with one green eye, one blue/grey. (Mate of Violetocean)

Violetocean- Black she-cat with dark blue/purple eyes(Mate of Grasstail)(Sister of Grayflower)

Tawnyspot- brown calico she-cat with brown eyes

Rosefur- dark red/black she-cat with green eyes

Gardenflower- Grey she-cat with brown splotches, orange eyes

Med- Honeyfur- Bright golden she-cat with orange eyes. Apprentice, Thunderpaw

Queens- Dawnear- Golden she-cat, blue eyes, one white ear

Articrose- White she-cat with red tail, paws, muzzle, ears. One red eye, one white

Cherryheart- Red she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentices-Blossompaw- White/red she-cat, blue eyes

Thunderpaw- Grey tom, white eyes. Blind

Lightpaw- White she-cat, helps guide Thunderpaw, green/yellow eyes

Sparklepaw- Blue/grey tom with white stripes, green eyes

~~MountainClan~~

Leader-Rockstar- Large silver tom with grey eyes, white tail tip(Mate of Icetail)

Deputy-Icetail- Small she-cat with white fur, grey tail tip and muzzle, bright blue eyes(Mate of Rockstar)

Warriors- Thunderfur- Dark grey tom with light silver eyes(Brother of Silversplash and Stormheart)

Silversplash- light grey she-cat with bright green eyes(Sister of Stormheart and Thunderfur)

Stormheart- Dark grey tom with dark blue eyes(Brother of Silversplash and Thunderfur)

Emeraldpelt- Light greenish/blue she-cat with bright green eyes. Apprentice, Applepaw

Raintail- black she-cat with a white tail and dark brown spots, blue eyes

Sunflower- Bright white she-cat with black paws, yellow eyes. Apprentice, Brightpaw

Med-Moonpuddle- small grey she-cat with white stripes, light blue eyes. Apprentice, Stitchedpaw

Queens- Barkleaf- Dark brown she-cat, long fur, and green eyes

Birchfeather- small white she-cat with light brown spots, dark brown eyes. (Mother of Oakkit, Leafkit, Junglekit. Father is Thunderfur)

Apprentices-Applepaw- small red she-cat with dark orange/red eyes, black muzzle.

Stitchedpaw- smaller tom with stitched neck (Attacked by wild bear when young) dark, green eyes

Brightpaw- large white she-cat with ginger eyes, orange underbelly

Elders- Blindeye- large grey tom with dull green eyes, blind

Mothfur- Dull ginger she-cat with brown eyes

~~SpiritClan~~

Leader-Spiritstar- Large grey tom with light blue eyes(Mate of Ghostpelt)

Deputy-Ghostpelt- Eerie white she-cat with blue/silver eyes(Mate of Spiritstar)

Warriors-Snowdust- Light grey/brown tom with white eyes. Apprentice, Softpaw(Mate of Icedrop)

Specklefeather- Light grey she-cat with dark grey spots, green eyes, and a black muzzle

Lighttail- dark grey tom with bright blue eyes

Grayflower- Light grey she-cat with white splotches, blue/purple eyes(sister of Violetocean)

Med-Lillypedal- ogjt grey/blue she-cat with bright purple eyes. Apprentice, Ashpaw

Queens- Nightleaf- dark brown she-cat with black stripes, dark blue eyes.(Mother of Spiritkit)

Apprentices- Softpaw- Fluffy white she-cat with blue eyes

Ashpaw- dark grey tom, brown eyes. Deformed right front paw

~~Loners/Kittypets/Others~~

Scrappy- Tiny white dog with brown eyes

Chumpy- Tuxeto tom with dark green eyes(Mate of Princess)

Princess- black she-cat with bright blue eyes(Mate of Chumpy)

Brothleg- Very old ginger tom with dark brown eyes, kicked from TreeClan for killing Redwhiskers mother when Redwhisker was born.

Hooves- Large brown horse with white mane/tail(Mate of Clyde)

Clyde- Large Clydesdale with white hoove fur, underbelly, green/brown eyes.(Mate of Hooves)


	2. Chapter 1

A crisp fog settled upon the territory of TreeClan. Dawnpaw had set out with the morning patrol, which consisted of Swiftpaw, Splashstone, Rainfeather, and herself. She had traveled ahead of the group, and scented out a vole. She quickly jumped into hunting position, and crawled around a tree. There, a fox tail length away from her, sat a large plump vole. She was determined to make this her first catch, and quietly snuck forward. She leaped, but too soon. The vole gave a soft squeal and retreated into its spot under the tree. Dawnpaw gave a frustrated murmur, and turned to return to the group.

"Dawnpaw! I caught a squirrel!" she heard Swiftpaw call, and she trotted forward.

"Nice" she purred, looking back to where she had lost sight of the vole. But now, a different scent caught her attention. "Hey Swiftpaw, do you smell that?" she questioned, causing him to pull himself up.

"I do... It reeks of dog-" he paused, looking directly at her "and it seems fresh" he finished, and she knew what she had to do. She raced over to her mentor, Rainfeather.

"Rainfeather, Swiftpaw and I have caught the fresh scent of dog" she reported, and the two warriors looked to eachother.

"Show us where" said Splashstone, and Dawnpaw turned to lead the way.

As they arrived back where Swiftpaw was waiting, he looked worriedly to them.

"Keep quiet. Look" he whispered, and led them to an edge.

"HELP!" called a small looking tabby she-cat, who was surrounded by many, large dogs. Dawnpaw instinctively leaped down, landing right behind the largest dog. Because of her small size and soft paws, she could easily scurry around them silently. She jumped atop the large dog, luckily it did not notice her. She wrapped her paws around its muzzle, pulling it from the group. She slid her claws over its throat, and the dog simply fell to the ground, giving a single lifeless sigh.

She jumped to the one dog that wasn't looking at it's dead leader, and sliced his neck. As he fell, the other dogs whipped their head to watch. Dawnpaw disguised herself with a close-by tree, before sneaking off to her next victim. She wrapped her claws around the dogs paws, and ran her claws over his fur. He yelped, falling over. She dug her claws into his sides, and he just silently growled.

For the last dog, she leaped at him, digging her claws into his eyes, and her teeth into his neck. He collapsed, and the young apprentice trotted over to the tabby.

The tabby stood their, astonished, and Dawnpaw nuzzled her.

"Its alright. Please go back to your home. Be careful" She smiled, and scurried up the cliff side. The morning patrol continued their patrol, quickly and silently.

As the group got back, Splashstone quickly told the leader everything that had happened.

"Oh really?" Oakstar said, looking to the young apprentices.

"I think you both have earned your warrior names" He said, leaping upon high rock.

Swiftpaw and Dawnpaw exchanged glances, trotting over to sit under the rock.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, please gather under the high rock" Called Oakstar, as all the cats slowly began to gather.

"Today, Swiftpaw and Dawnpaw have proven themselves worthy of earning their warrior names" He purred proudly, looking down at Dawnpaw and Swiftpaw.

"Dawnpaw. You have trained well and learned much from Rainfeather. Rainfeather, Splashstone, did they train well?" Rainfeather and Splashstone nodded in response.

Oakstar lifted his chin and fixed her eyes on the evening sky. His voice rang out, clear and measured in the hushed woods.

"I, Oakstar, leader of TreeClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of our noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn" He looked down at Dawnpaw and Swiftpaw, narrowing his eyes.

"Dawnpaw, Swiftpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

Dawnpaw was first to answer, with a steady "I do"

Swiftpaw echoed her exact words, in the same tone. "I do"

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names. Dawnpaw, you will be Dawnheart. Starclan honors your bravery and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of TreeClan" He jumped down to rest his muzzle on top of Dawnstripe's now bowed head. She bent lower to give his shoulder a respectful lick, then straightened up and padded over to join the other warriors.

Oakstar studied Swiftpaw for a quick moment, before continuing.

"Swiftpaw, from this moment you will be known as Swiftstripe. Starclan honors you for your bravery and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of TreeClan"

Oakstar stepped forward, touching his muzzle to Swiftstripe's head. Swiftheart brought his head down lower to give his shoulder a respectful lick, and straightened up. He walked over to join Dawnheart, and the Clan's voice's rose.

"Dawnheart! Swiftstripe! Dawnheart! Swiftstripe!" the clan yowled out loudly, as Dawnheart and Swiftstripe lay their foreheads together.

"Dawnheart. I must tell you something" Swiftstripe mewled, and Dawnheart looked up to him.

"Yes, Swiftstripe?" she purred in response.

"I lo-" he started, but Oakstar interrupted him.

"WAIT! Swiftstripe and Dawnheart must sit vigil as soon as the sun is sleeping" Oakheart yowled, and the sun had already begun to sink below the horizon. Swiftstripe and Dawnheart decided to get into their place, but turned to talk to eachother.

"Dawnheart. I've loved you ever since we were kits. Your beautiful fur, and your brains make you perfect. I would do anything to be mates with you, and I was wondering... If you wanted to be..."

"Mates?" Dawnheart purred, finishing Skystripe's sentence for him. He nodded, and Dawnheart kissed his cheek.

"Of course" she smiled and the two turned to sit their vigil.

~Next Morning, after a silent vigil~

Dawnheart was snapped fully awake as Oakstar walked out of his den. He walked over to the fresh kill pile, and dropped a vole in front of Dawnheart. He dropped a squirrel infront of Swiftstripe, and he stalked back to his den.

"That was strange" Dawnheart purred, looking over to Swiftstripe. He was half asleep, half awake. She kissed his lips softly, running her tail over his muzzle. She trotted out of camp silently, before something swatted her behind. She jumped, whipping around to see Swiftstripe with a mischievious smile painted on his face. She purred, racing out of camp. He lead her through a small bush which led to a dark den.

~A few, VERY mischievious minutes later c:~

Swiftstripe and Dawnheart stumbled out of the bush, still purring in delight.

"Swiftstripe, that was wonderful" Dawnheart purred, and Swiftstripe giggled.

"Yes, it was. I love you Dawnheart" he said, and she replied.

"I love you too" she purred, and they intertwined their tails, quietly walking back to camp.


	3. Chapter 2

As Swiftstripe and Dawnheart trotted into camp, Oakstar walked up to them. He gave them both a suspicious glance, before nodding. Both the warriors had brought back prey. They set down their catches, before trotting to the warrior den. It was silent and empty, with only Viperthorne and Antstep inside. Swiftstripe curled up in the back corner, giving a long yawn. Dawnheart dragged herself over tiredly, laying herself next to Swiftstripe. She rested her head on his shoulder, his warm welcoming smell mingling with hers. She instantly fell asleep, and so did Swiftstripe.

~Next Morning~

Swiftstripe awoke early, just as the sun began to appear over the horizon. He quietly brought himself from beside Dawnheart, laying her head down softly. She gave a soft sigh, curling up to keep warm. He trotted out of the den, just as Oakstar was about to call patrol.

"This morning's patrol will be lead by Swiftstripe. Please choose who you would like to take with you quickly" Oakstar said, and Swiftstripe nodded.

"Alright" he said, turning to wake Dawnheart.

"Dawnheart!" he whispered, nudging her softly. She looked up to him, giving a yawn.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to join me in morning patrol?" he purred, and she nodded.

"Of course!" she replied, jumping up.

Swiftstripe turned, checking to see that everyone was there as they were about to leave. He decided to bring along Dawnheart, Splashstone, Nightpaw and Snowpaw.

"Alright. Lets head out" he announced, turning he trotted toward's the border of the territory. He neared the cliff he had last time, peering over for any trouble. Dawnheart joined him, when a loud _SNAP!_ caused both of them to look up. Just as they were about to back away, the ground beneath them broke away, and they both when crashing into the rushing river. Swiftstripe tried to grab hold of any sort of rock or root, but he wasn't quick enough. In a matter of seconds, Dawnheart and Swiftstripe were plunging over the side of a large waterfall.

Swiftstripe was snapped away suddenly, pulling himself up. Next to him, Dawnheart was laying perfectly still, the only movement was her side steadily rising and falling. Swiftstripe shook, though his limbs were tired and weak. He nudged Dawnheart softly, and gave a relieved sigh as she slowly awoke.

"Swiftstripe... where are we?" she winced, and he looked around.

"To be honest, Dawnheart, I myself do not know the answer to that." He answered, pulling her closer to him.

"But its alright. We'll find our way back, and we'll be fine" he reassured her, but he himself was not sure if that was true.

"Okay, but Swiftstripe..?" she winced, and he looked down at her.

"Yes?"

"Its getting cold. We need to find somewhere to stay for the night" she purred, and he looked up. The sun was already beginning to fall, and he noticed she was right. It was getting a bit chilly.

"Follow me" he said, pulling himself up silently. She brought herself up, leaning against him for support. He found a large rock with a rabbit hole next to it, the scent of rabbit was faint and many other scents were beginning to fade.

"Lets stay in here. Just for tonight" He said, and she nodded, giving a few soft coughs. He noticed she had begun to shiver terribly upon standing, and she looked as though she was half asleep. He knew she needed to have the proper rest to keep her from getting sick. he leaded her in, following the path all the way down to a dead end. It was oddly warm and large in the strange den. Dawnheart lay down, and Swiftstripe curled up around her. Before he or she could say a thing, they were both in a deep sleep.

The sound of yowling and barks woke Dawnheart. She pulled herself from next to Swiftstripe, and peered out silently. A large dog was just down the river a little ways, and he looked hungry. The dog had a tan color with silver like splotches, and its ribs rippled underneath his fur. She turned, trotting back to the den. She was worried terribly that the dog would scent her, and she awoke Swiftstripe.

"Swiftstripe..." she whispered, and he awoke quickly.

"Yes, Dawnheart?" he mumbled softly, and she gave a happy sigh.

"There's a dog, its kind of close. What if it scents us?" she whispered, looking up at the den entrance as a draft of wind blew through. The scent of dog was strongly carried, and Swiftstripe stiffened.

"S-" Dawnheart stopped, but Swiftstripe wrapped his tail around her mouth.

"Quiet, and listen" he whispered. Dawnheart pricked her ears, quietly listening as she was told. The faint sound of the dog breathing could be heard at the head of the den, and she stared at it. Swiftstripe knew he had to react. He leaped out of the den, digging his claws into the large dog's muzzle. It yelped, leaping back it began to run. Swiftstripe jumped up,sprinting towards the den. He grabbed Dawnheart, pulling her into a passageway that turned off left. The dog whimpered as it ran off, its loud yelps fading.

"That was a close one" he gasped, still struggling slightly to catch his breathe.

"Indeed" she purred.

He lay his head on her shoulder, taking in a few gasps of air. She pelted out of the den, swerving left suddenly. Swiftstripe turned, trying to run after her.

"Dawnheart wait, what are you doing?" she continued running, leaping into a nearby bramble. Swiftstripe ran up to the bramble, listening to her rustling around inside. She yowled loudly as she shot out, her tail lashing. Somehow, not a single bramble had touched her fur.

"Swiftstripe!" she winced, sliding onto the forest floor.

"What is it, Dawnheart?"

"I... I think the *hiss, gasp* the kits are coming!" she howled, and his eyes narrowed. Already? We couldn't have been gone that long... Or so he thought. The had been gone about four weeks now.

Dawnheart yowled again, snapping Swiftstripe back into reality.

"Alright, Dawnheart. Nice, deep breathes. Then, PUSH!" he guided, and she did as she was told.

*Gasp, PUSH!* The first kit came out, and Swiftstripe cleaned off its fur. He softly slid it closer to Dawnheart, just as two smaller kits slid out. He cleaned them both, sliding the pair to their mother. They both had the same fur, but one had brown eyes and one had blue. One more kit came out, mewling loudly as soon as it hit the ground. He cleaned this kit quickly, sliding it to its siblings. They were all already nursing quietly, and Swiftstripe purred.

"Adorable" he said, and she gasped, looking up to him.

"Ya.. *gasp* their really... *gasp* pretty..." she rasped, looking down to them.

"Gosh, that took some work didn't it?" he said, curling up next to her. The smallest one with blue eyes and a grayish/white pelt crawled over Dawnheart, tumbling onto Swiftstripe. He giggled, and the kit fell asleep.

"Aww... so cute" she purred, cleaning off the kits soft fur. It gave a quiet purr, digging itself into Swiftstripe's fur. Swiftstripe realized that in that small amount of time, the day was already half through. The sun was directly above the couple and their kits, and Swiftstripe knew they had to get going.

Dawnheart, we need to get going" he purred to her, in a sort of urgent tone. She looked up to him, looking down to the kits.

"Their too young to travel" she stated, but he gave her the 'well-they-need-to-learn" look. She sighed, picking up one. Swiftstripe picked up another, and the gray/white one clung to his back. The family trotted along, on search of their camp.


End file.
